The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLIX, No. 38

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The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

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VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 38 |

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

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THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022

OP ED PAGE 4

SPORTS PAGE 6

SPORTS PAGE 6

We support the dissolution of the fragmented and outdated UC

For softball, spring break included a whirlwind ten games in nine days

Men’s ice hockey to face Minnesota State in first round of NCAA Tournament

Jackson Pledges to Recuse from SFFA Case Allston Group Critcizes Harvard By CARA J. CHANG and ISABELLA B. CHO CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92 said Wednesday she would recuse herself from a case challenging affirmative action at Harvard if she is confirmed to the bench before the court takes it up this fall. Jackson, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, will complete a six-year term on the Harvard Board of Overseers in the spring. Questioned about the potential conflict of interest on Wednesday, she said she would recuse herself from the marquee affirmative action case justices are set to hear in the fall challenging Harvard College’s race-conscious admissions policies. “If you’re confirmed, do you intend to recuse [yourself] from this lawsuit?” Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) asked. “That is my plan, senator,” Jackson said. In January, the Supreme Court agreed to take up a pair of lawsuits challenging race-conscious admissions processes at Harvard and the Universi­

ty of North Carolina that could determine the fate of affirmative action policies in American higher education. Jackson’s exchange with Cruz — which came during the third day of her marathon confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee — marked the first time she has publicly pledged to recuse herself from the case if confirmed. Experts are split over whether Jackson’s role on the board would warrant a recusal, with some saying her ties to Harvard — as a member of the Board of Overseers, an alumna, and a parent with a daughter in the College’s Class of 2026 — create a conflict of interest. Others argue that because she did not craft Harvard’s admissions policies, she would not have to recuse herself. As a lower court judge, Jackson recused herself in two other cases due to her role on Harvard’s governing board. New York University Law Professor Stephen Gillers said he was “surprised” by Jackson’s announcement. She likely felt the public would doubt her

SEE JACKSON PAGE 3

The Coalition for a Just Allston and Brighton condemned Harvard’s plans to expand By MICHAL GOLDSTEIN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER ­

and conclude by January. Renovations on Newell, home to the men’s crew teams, will start in September and are expected to finish by November 2023. Troville said the renovating team is planning to build energy-efficient air conditioning systems that use natural wind currents from the Charles River and install solar panels during upgrades to the buildings’ roofs. The renovations will also include an upgrade to LED lighting, among other changes. “Planned work, which is expected to commence later this year, includes interior renovations for new training facilities, locker rooms and bathrooms, significant interior and exterior accessibility improvements, the replacement of the terracotta roof tiles, masonry cleaning and repair, storm drainage improvements, and

The Coalition for a Just Allston and Brighton, a group of Allston-Brighton residents and non-profit organizations, led a protest condemning Harvard’s expansion plans in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood earlier this month. Boston City Councilor Elizabeth A. “Liz” Breadon and Massachusetts State Representatives Michael J. Moran and Kevin G. Honan attended the demonstration, which came amid heightened tensions between Allston-Brighton residents and Harvard regarding the University’s encroachment across the river. Shortly before, Harvard and CJAB each penned a letter to recently-elected Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 painting starkly different pictures of the University’s expansion. The current state of Harvard’s relationship with Allston is the culmination of a long and complex history. In the late 1980s, Harvard began expanding its Allston campus, acquiring 52.6 acres of land in eight years through anonymous purchases made by the Beal Companies. In a letter to then-Harvard President Neil Rudestine, Boston’s mayor at the time, Thomas M. Menino, called Harvard’s acquisition strategy “the highest level of arrogance seen in our city in many years.’” As of this year, Harvard and its subsidiaries own roughly one third of the land in Allston. The wave of development includes the recently-completed $1 billion Science and Engineering Complex, more than two dozen properties on or around

SEE BOATHOUSES PAGE 3

SEE ALLSTON PAGE 5

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson ‘92 testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. AP PHOTO / ANDREW HARNIK

Boathouses to Undergo Changes By CARRIE HSU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER ­

The historic Weld boathouse, home to Radcliffe Women’s Crew, before its first major renovations to the interior and exterior since its construction in 1907. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard will commence renovations on its historic Weld and Newell Boathouses this year in what is planned to be the most significant update to the buildings since their construction more than a century ago. The University announced its plans for the project in the February release of its 2021 Town Gown report, which details the University’s sustainability, diversity, and infrastructure goals. The report revealed the renewal project would include extensive interior and exterior improvements, as well as new sustainability features. Senior Associate Athletics Director Timothy P. “Tim” Troville said the renovations to the Weld Boathouse, which houses the women’s teams, are expected to begin around June 1

IOP Panel Promotes Allen Reflects on Her Gubernatorial Campaign Changes for Equity By YUSUF S. MIAN and CHARLOTTE P. RITZ-JACK CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

By AIDA BARADARI and KATE DELVAL GONZALEZ CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

A panel of philanthropic leaders discussed efforts to promote racial justice in philanthropy at a virtual event hosted Wednesday by the Harvard Institute of Politics. The panel — titled “Advancing Racial Justice in Philanthropy: Aspiration or Reality?” — featured Libra Foundation Executive Director Crystal Hayling, Solidaire Network Executive Director Rajasvini Bhansali, and Borealis Philanthropy President Amoretta Morris. The panelists discussed the importance of philanthropy and called for change to promote equity. Bhansali, an advocate for grassroot-led social movements, said marginalized groups are often shut out of mainstream philanthropy. “When people of color, women of color, gender non-conforming people start to lead, there is a big dangerous feeling ­

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Harvard Today 2

of like, the structure has shifted,” Bhansali said. “In philanthropy now… communities are treated as proxies, as subcontractors, as ones that are going to enact our boardroom wisdom to some kind of strategy that helps us check a box,” she added. Hayling said philanthropy is an important mechanism for change. “It is organizing money to move it, to organize people,” she said. “Because ultimately, those are the folks that are going to beat the corporate money, the accumulated wealth, the exploitative wealth that’s in our communities.” She added it is important to “generate joy as we do work” to avoid burnout. “I kind of came into this work with the belief that social change work was about pushing through and grinding harder,” Hayling said. “And I’ve been taught by people in movement that that won’t work. That leads to burnout, and that leads to

SEE IOP PAGE 3

News 3

Editorial 4

Following her recent campaign for Governor of Massachusetts, Harvard Government professor Danielle S. Allen is set to return to as director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics for the 2022-2023 academic year. Allen looked back on her run for office and discussed her future at Harvard in an interview Wednesday, five weeks after suspending her campaign. She had stepped back from her roles on campus during the race to maintain a separation between her political work and the University. “It really meant I was sort of out of touch with people, and so it’s a real pleasure to reconnect and just honestly spend time hearing what people have been up to for the past few years,” Allen said. Allen said she is guided by her “life’s purpose” of furthering American democracy and saw running for office as the way to do so. “Across all my areas of work, you’ll see me doing the same thing,” she said. “You’ll see me working on democracy in ­

Sports 6

Harvard Government professor Danielle S. Allen launched her campaign for governor of Massachusetts last June. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAWN MILLER VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

scholarly terms, you’ll see me working on housing, you’ll see me working on justice reform, you’ll see me working on civic education.” However, asked whether she would seek political office again in the future, she said she will assess the direction her career must take as the needs of the na-

TODAY’S FORECAST

tion’s democracy change. “There’s a lot of work to do, and over time, I will be reconfiguring my portfolio to get that work done, depending on opportunities and depending on necessities,” she said. Asked about her bid for the Commonwealth’s highest office, Allen was pragmatic about

RAINY High: 45 Low: 42

the need for an early end to the campaign. “The simple fact of the matter is that in the early parts of the caucus process, we did not succeed in hitting our targets,” Allen said. “And the math was just such that there was not a

SEE ALLEN PAGE 3

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